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23 Songs That Were Secretly Written By Huge Stars

7. Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue,” Written by Shel Silverstein
That’s right—one of Johnny Cash’s biggest hits was actually penned by poet and author Shel Silverstein, best known for his children’s literary work. What most people don’t know about Silverstein is that he was also a songwriter. As author Eugene B. Bergman points out in his book Excelsior, You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd, Silverstein was inspired to write this song after his close friend, Jean Shepherd, told him that he was often bullied in school because his name was feminine-sounding.
The song gained international fame after Cash performed a live version during his 1969 concert at California’s San Quentin State Prison.